Archive for July 2011

I was reading the books of hadith, when i came across the fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to drink a drink made by steeping dates or raisins. Being a student of culinary arts, it interested me, and inshallah, i am planning to give it a shot soon.

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin:

Safiyyah, daughter of Atiyyah, said: I entered upon Aisha with some women of AbdulQays, and asked her about mixing dried dates and raisins (for drink). She replied: I used to take a handful of dried dates and a handful or raisins and put them in a vessel, and then crush them (and soak in water). Then I would give it to the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) to drink.
(Abu Dawood, Book 26 (Book of Drinks), Number 3699)

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin:

Amrah said on the authority of Aisha that she would steep dates for the Apostle of God (peace be upon him) in the morning. When the evening came, he took his dinner and drank it after his dinner. If anything remained, she poured it out. She then would steep for him at night. When the morning came, he took his morning meal and drank it after his morning meal. She said: The skin vessel was washed in the morning and in the evening. My father (Hayyan) said to her: Twice a day? She said: Yes.
(Abu Dawood, Book 26 (Book of Drinks), Number 3703)

Ibn Abbas reported that raisins were steeped in water for the Messenger of God (may peace be upon him) and he would drink it on that day and on the next day and on the following day until the evening of the third day. He would then order it to be drunk by (other people) or to be thrown away.(Sahih Muslim,Book 023 (Book of Drinks), Number 4973)

Note: It should not be steeped for so less time that there is no taste. It should not be steeped for too long that fermentation takes place and makes it an intoxicant :). I think few hours to 2-3 days should be good as we learn from the hadith.

Inuvik is an arctic town in Canada’s Northwest Territories with a population of about 3,500 people. It’s located right at the tip of North America facing the Arctic Ocean. With a polar climate and harsh living conditions, one wouldn’t expect to find a town there, let alone a town with Muslims. But there is a Muslim community there and a growing one, too. So much so that the trailer that was being used as the mosque ran out of room and this community now needed a new masjid.

Building a masjid in the Arctic, however, is far more complicated than it is anywhere else. The scarcity of skilled labour and material makes the cost of such a project skyrocket and this undertaking is simply impossible for a small community of a 100 people. Their situation is akin to that of the Muslims in Edmonton, who despite all odds managed to erect Canada’s first masjid in 1938. With faith in God anything is possible. At a time like this, the Inuvik Muslims could have simply prayed for a masjid to be shipped over. And that’s exactly what they were about to get.

Enter, the Zubaidah Tallab Foundation. The Zubaidah Tallab Foundation is a charity based out of Manitoba. The remarkable individuals at this organization decided to give the Inuvikans a hand and took it upon themselves to ensure that the masjid got built. After evaluating the cost of locally building the masjid, they came up with a plan which at first sight would easily be dismissed as insanity. Build the masjid in Winnipeg and ship it 4,000 kilometres away to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories.

As insane as that may sound, this was the most economical way of getting the masjid built. Part of the masjid’s journey was going to be on roads (2400km) and part on water (1800 km). The goal was to get the mosque on to the last barge heading towards Inuvik for the season. Not only was this going to be a logistical nightmare but it was to be a race against time as well. With receding water levels in the Mackenzie River, the shipping company decided to push up the departure date by 3 weeks.

The 1,500 square-foot masjid was built in Winnipeg and started its journey on a semi-trailer. The over-sized trailer made its way through back roads and country highways, struggling to make it to the barge in time, it was delayed further by Labour Day celebrations and highway regulations. To complicate matters even more, the bridge across Reindeer Creek proved too narrow for the trailer.

The driver had to remove the back wheels and a second truck was brought in to balance the back of the flatbed as the masjid was moved carefully across bridge. But this wasn’t the biggest scare. All hopes and dreams came close to being shattered when the masjid almost fell off the trailer into a creek near the Alberta border.

The organizers managed to request the shipping company to hold the barge for two extra days and perhaps by divine intervention, the barge was delayed further due to poor weather. With lots of prayer and a little bit of luck, the trailer managed to get to the barge just in time. The masjid was loaded on to the barge and set off for its journey towards the North Pole.

The barge arrived in Inuvik, on September 24th2010. After an excruciating 3-week journey, the little masjid arrived at its destination; all in one piece. The Inuvik Muslims gathered around the port to witness the historical event. They chanted prayers to praise and thank God as they waited. Some jumped around with joy while others were overwhelmed with gratitude and came to tears.

Numerous finishing touches needed to be added and it took about a month to get the mosque ready for use. Fathallah Fargat, a carpenter from St. Catherines, Ontario was inspired by the story and traveled all the way to Inuvik to help set up the masjid. He even helped build a 10-meter minaret to accompany the newly erected masjid.

The Midnight Sun Masjid, as it is now called, was inaugurated on November 10th 2010 to become North America’s northern most masjid. All in all, the entire project cost about $300,000. The Zaid Tallabah Foundation, which still has outstanding payments to make, is looking to raise another $21,000.

The Inuvik masjid is a stellar example of what can be accomplished by unity, hard work and faith in God. For those let down by the petty attacks on masjid around the West, this story should rejuvenate your spirit and give you hope. If people can manage to build a masjid in the Arctic, then building one anywhere else should be far from impossible.